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MEHERs TRAP 3.4
AR s nth RISTA 2.4
What did Amar mean by this lol
Celebrities at NMACC- Salman Ranveer Kajol SidKi
Originally posted by: MS-meghasharma
Amazing updates.Ayushman’s double cross I hope create some opportunity for abhay and group to go one up over Maithili
thank you so much! 🤗❤️
Let's see 😉
Chapter 98
Human or Vampire?
This particular hideout was strange and a little uncomfortable for an average human. It had one window, a very tiny one at the very top of the west wall. The light still poured in, but one couldn’t see outside it without standing on someone else’s shoulder. Piya stared up at it after waking up early from a brief rest. Abhay was still asleep, tucked in the darkest corner of the room. She squinted. The sunlight was far up, but it felt like its heat was directly on her face. A ball of fire in the sky.
Her phone buzzed with messages throughout the day and night, messages that were different variations of are you okay? Disasters of various scales, natural and unnatural, began to take place all over the globe. She could assume as much with the harshness of the sun, and hoped everyone was alright back home. News websites were filled with such articles. Many people were going missing, and some were found only to be behaving strangely. She was glad that Maithili wasn’t able to get her hands on Time. They would all be dead right now if she had. Piya looked in Abhay’s direction. Even with his daylight ring on, he kept his distance from the light. So did the other vampires. It weakened them.
Piya crawled to his bedside slowly. In lieu of his shadows, he simply had the blanket over his head, a rather human behaviour. On the other side, she could see half of his face. No burns, but there was redness in places where the blanket had slipped away slightly, like a developing rash. She pulled the blanket over him well, and touched his face. His eyes opened, and he held her hand against his cheek.
You were awake? Your face…
I’m okay, he reassured her. The sun is really bright, isn’t it?
She nodded, and lay atop him, shielding his body with hers. In the past, she used to joke that he could be a personal AC in the summer months, to which he burst into laughter. Abhay chuckled, and began to sit up. He took the blanket and placed it above their heads like a canopy. Piya blushed and looked down, still with a tiny frown. Abhay lifted her head by the chin and kissed her. She immediately melted, longing for a touch like that for so long. Once their lips parted, she touched his cheek and the crook of his neck. The rashes were mostly in those areas. She tried to heal them her usual way, but she couldn’t. Her gaze dropped.
They’re not that serious. They’ll heal on their own. See?
The skin was renewing itself as he described, albeit slowly. She underestimated how only the sun could weaken a vampire, even one as strong as him. Piya watched it with unwavering attention, touching the same spots with a soft brush of her fingers, once the redness was gone. Good as new. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Abhay played with and smoothed her hair calmly, looking into her eyes. She had an active mind, even during downtime.
Is this what it felt like? In your early days?, she asked.
He didn’t immediately get what she meant, until he saw her stare at her hands and rub her fingers against her palms. He took and caressed them with his thumbs.
I knew you couldn’t escape the realities of this world for long. But I wanted to deny it for as long as I could. I didn’t want you to dirty your hands. This is a world of monsters, after all.
She touched her finger to his lips and shook her head.
Don’t say that.
It won’t change anything, Piya. We all have killed at some point. Sometimes even innocents. You know this. That’s what monsters do.
Abhay chuckled, kissed her hands, and somehow still made her angrily tear up. Likely, she was still overwhelmed with all this. Irritated, tired, and just plain fed up.
Piya…..
At least, if we die in this conflict….we’ll go to Hell together.
He adamantly shook his head.
Hell isn’t a place for you, jaan. Just me.
That isn’t necessarily true anymore.
She pressed her face into his chest and inhaled, taking comfort in his scent. He pulled her close and slipped his hands under her top, tracing circles into her skin. A small smile against her hair, and a soft nuzzle.
Piya thought over what she just said. If she were to die, what would happen? She knew that she and Abhay would never separate, even after death, but she wasn’t satisfied with the time she got with him until now. She wanted more time. And maybe even get rid of the vulnerability she had as a human to achieve that.
A thought previously stuffed into the recesses of her mind came out of her mouth without a second thought.
Abhay, if anything happens to me, or even before the possibility strikes, will you turn me?
He always dreaded the question. It appeared to him in dreams before. But he was also shocked to hear it for real. He dropped his hands to his sides, slightly angered by the idea. He didn’t want to drag her further in than she already was, with an idea like that.
No.
But…
I do not want to start a discussion on the matter. No. And if you think I’ll let anything happen to you in the first place, then—
He would do everything in his power to never let her come closer to that life. He couldn’t fathom her drinking blood on the regular like the rest of them. Without her sweet heartbeat, and the warmth she naturally possessed. Piya shrunk back and turned to the side. The voices in their heads went silent too.
Sorry.
Don’t apologize.
He knew keeping her human life would cut their time on this earth short. But he was okay with that. Humanity was a precious thing. She didn’t need to sacrifice it. But to Piya, an endless eternity with him was just as appealing. She wanted to be at his side, for as many decades or centuries as they could get. She could be as strong as him. She wouldn’t have to be a burden on anyone to protect her.
She felt her chest burning, but couldn’t sense a threat nearby. She glanced at Abhay, who didn’t look too happy at the moment. Those emotions afflicted her for the first time, but even then it was mild. Subconsciously, he was trying to hold back. Once he noticed, out of the trance, he calmed himself and left for a walk in the darker hallways outside. Piya set the blanket down from over her head and stared at the door as it slammed shut. Perhaps this was the first of more serious fights. He was upset with her.
She picked up her phone, and began to reply to some of the messages as a distraction. Hopefully they wouldn’t call. Explaining it would be awkward, next to impossible.
—————————————————————————
His feet shuffled outside her door, twice leaving for a circle around the hall and returning, then anxiously tapping the stone floor with his foot. Iolanda heard it all with utmost attention, having nothing else to do on this mundane morning. Usually, he wasn’t the one to request a chat with her. He used to be very quiet when they first got properly acquainted. Nonetheless, she looked forward to it. It had been a while since they last properly chatted. The past few weeks had been filled with commands and orders. She hated it back then, she hated it now.
“Are you—“ She inquired, leaning close to the door.
Before she could finish, he finally knocked. He used to give the softest knocks back in the day, but this one could break through the door if he tried. It was unbecoming of him. She opened the door only to see him gravely upset over something. It was written all over his face.
“My my….what’s gotten into you?” She teased. “Are you going to break the door?” Abhay clenched his jaw and glared. “Come inside.”
She linked arms with him and led him inside. When she let go, Abhay shoved his hands into his pockets and stood around, finally able to breath. He felt much better physically. This room had no windows.
“You look a little pale too. Is the sun too harsh? I’ve gotten complaints.”
He nodded and rubbed his forehead, taking a seat in one of the two chairs in the center of the room. Iolanda wandered to the dark oak credenza in the back, lined with bottles of different sizes. She pulled one out and reached for two goblets.
“I advised against staying there to begin with. But you just had to insist….” She chided, rolling her eyes.
Abhay stared at the few ants crawling by on the floor, not completely paying attention to the conversation. It was his idea to stay in that room. He wanted Piya to get some kind of sun exposure. She liked waking up to it. But now it was too much for the both of them. The room began to feel like a live oven.
“How was I supposed to guess she would weaponize the actual sun?” He angrily muttered, then paused. “What’s the plan for tonight? Are we going to move again?”
“Not yet, there is one more thing left to do here. Supposedly there is another Mark of Celeste bearer in the small town down the hill. But that’s not for you to worry over, the ancient folks will handle it.”
“So that includes you?”
She gave him a look, setting the bottle on the counter hard. Abhay pressed his fist into his mouth to hide a smirk.
“I’m not that old!” She asserted. She then turned her back to him and muttered. “But yes.”
“I see.”
Iolanda poured them each a drink, and handed him one of the goblets, filled to the brim. She watched him drink it all in under a minute, not a spot to his face.
“Something else is bothering you?” She asked, pouring him another one. “Did you two have a lover’s quarrel?”
She looked mighty impressed with herself for coming up with that line, but Abhay didn’t pay attention. He tapped the side of the goblet with his fingers, and eventually looked up.
“If you had to choose between getting your humanity back and staying a vampire, what would you pick?”
Iolanda was taken aback by the question and just laughed, taking her first sip. Abhay furrowed his brows and emptied just half the goblet this time.
“What an interesting question! Hmm….”
She circled the room and pondered. She had never given the idea much thought. She was far too old to even remember what being human felt like.
“The answer will differ for everyone you ask. Personally, I would stay a vampire. My human life was….rather empty. The one thing me and my siblings will agree on, well, maybe except Dragomir.” She paused. “Why are you asking? It’s a pointless question. None of us can go back. You know that.”
“I know. It’s just that Piya—“
He caught his tongue before he blurted out Piya’s request. He respected Iolanda a lot, but even he knew that she would do anything to one up her siblings. They were all like that, competitive. Piya’s soul was very powerful, and voluntarily wanting to become a vampire, no matter what happened to her, meant another Duralis in their ranks.
“Piya? Is she alright?”
Iolanda figured it out, but kept tight-lipped.
“She’s fine. Forget it.”
“Okay. Whatever you say. Here, have some more blood. It’s fresh, I think. You look like you’re about to pass out.” She said, as she handed him another full goblet.
“It’s not fresh, but thanks.”
sorry for late dear
brilliant chapter
abhiya had little beautiful moment❤️
but abhay got upset when pia asked him if he will turn her if anything happen to her
somehow pia want to live with abhay for a very longtime coz most of the time they r fighting for their life
abhay & lolanda convo was nice
abhay was more worried abt pia
i just abhiya will win the war
continue soon
Chapter 99
Puppet
He should have been thinking about other things, perhaps about the ambush Iolanda spoke of earlier, but he couldn’t. Abhay instead remembered the night he woke up without his humanity. Walking down the hall, back to their room, he watched as his memories embed themselves in the uniformity of the walls. His fingers brushed over the cold surface, over the moving images. A replay of those dark nights.
He tried to understand Piya’s perspective, but the mere idea conflicted with what he had seen and experienced himself. The fear, confusion, pain, and overwhelming thirst. It all came rushing back. He could remember that first taste of blood, the lust that accompanied it. It was a love and hate relationship. When he imagined and saw glimpses of Piya doing just that, he began to create a crater in the wall with his fist.
Calm down, Abhay.
At least he had time to convince her before she became too fixated on the idea. It was a silly thought he had to dissuade her from. He shook his head, and continued down the hall.
The sun had set, cooling the hideout as the night settled. He was glad; it started to feel like the inside of a furnace during the day. Anyone who was out wandering without injury for the night was given guard duty around the area, but Abhay wanted to check on Piya first, before he left her alone for the night. After their very brief argument, there wasn’t a single word from her in his mind. He sighed, and pushed the door open slowly, peeking inside.
Piya was curled up in bed, seemingly asleep. Her back was facing him, hair scattered over the pillow. Abhay walked to her bedside and carefully pulled the blanket over her shoulders. He touched his finger to her cheek, and snuck a glance over.
Jaan?
She really was asleep. Sometimes she would pretend, if they ever had the smallest of fights. Abhay kneeled on the floor facing her, and played with her hair whilst she slept, just for a few minutes. Nice and quiet. It was peaceful for a short while, until the beast began to whisper into the empty space in his mind. Coaxing him.
She wants eternity at your side. Why fight it? Wouldn’t you like that too?
Abhay clenched his fist and dug it into the stone on the floor. It cracked and crumbled to dust, the spaces filling with his blood. He couldn’t give in.
She’s fragile, just like those tiles you just ruined. You don’t ever want to lose her, right? This is the easy way out.
The finger that entangled itself in her locks twitched and moved down to her neck on its own. He stared at it for a while. Lightly stroking over the veins a few times, the beast took over for a brief second, staring at them with full intention. The fangs dropped, and a hiss escaped his lips. When Piya stirred from the sound, Abhay was able to regain control, and pulled his hand back. He stood up. He wouldn’t dare.
He was thankful he had to leave soon anyways. He quickly gave Piya a kiss on the cheek and hurried out of the room to his post outside. Piya opened her eyes then, touched her neck, then cheek, with a palm. She wanted to smile, but couldn’t, not until she and Abhay made up. She could feel it, gnawing at his every thought.
He ran away again, she thought.
He didn’t even try to hide his thoughts from her minutes back. She saw them in her dreams. Even she had to admit, it gave her the shivers. Tiny goosebumps raised themselves on her arm.
She sat up, curled up in a ball with the blanket around her shoulders, and stared out the window up above. The stars were shining bright tonight, brighter than usual. There was a sliver of the moon alongside them too. Perhaps they were celebrating, or sending a warning.
—————————————————————————-
This night was just like one from the old days. Abhay, alongside Jovan, sat at the foot of a large tree, tossing pebbles into a pond. The latter had come here just the night prior, one of the few to take the places of the fallen.
Iolanda personally made sure they were partnered up.
“Slow night, isn’t it?” Jovan noted, skipping a pebble across the entire pond. It landed flat in the grass on the other side. “Look at that.” He pointed. Abhay nodded and gave him a quick applause.
“Remember last time? Fighting until one side has largely dwindled in number?” He said, patting Abhay’s shoulder. “We didn’t get breaks like these.”
“Yeah. Somehow I prefer that. Less was at stake then.”
There was the occasional rustle in the bushes and trees nearby, eliciting momentary glances in the general direction. Nothing ever came out of them though. Truly a slow night. It made Abhay worry less about Piya. She was safe where she was. The hideout was warded by several spells anyways.
“I was really looking forward to hearing Piya play…it’s unfortunate what happened to her.” Jovan murmured, dragging a stick through the dirt. He looked over at Abhay, and nudged his shoulder. “You’re usually quiet, but not this quiet. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Really.”
“You should seriously think of new answers to that question.”
Jovan examined Abhay for a minute. Though they didn’t meet as much over the decades, he could make note of changes in his dear friend. Right now, Abhay carried an anxious expression, and was strangely on edge. Just like the first months he spent after he turned. Jovan furrowed his eyebrows.
“How old are you again?”
“You know the answer to that.” Abhay said, shaking his head. “Why are you asking?”
“Nothing special, you and your behavior just reminded me of your younger days. When we first met and all. You were so frightened.”
“Isn’t it natural?” He asked, turning his head away. Jovan chuckled.
“Of course it is, but only centuries back. Seems a little out of place for you now.” He paused. “You can tell me. My lips and mind are sealed.”
“Piya asked me to turn her if things….turned for the worse.”
It caught him off guard for a moment, having heard few humans ever ask for vampirism like it was candy. Piya’s reasons were not trivial, and likely she knew the consequences of what her relationship with Abhay could bring. But it was hard for the other side to comprehend it.
“How….interesting.”
Abhay grumbled something inaudible and tossed another pebble. It skipped twice, then sank. Jovan rubbed his chin.
“Willingly wanting to turn is far more terrifying than already being on the brink of death. Especially if the person is not bleeding out or anything. You or anyone else would have to drain her near dry to even begin the process. It’s quite gruesome.”
“I know. But I don’t know what has gotten into her.”
“Perhaps that’s her fear. She fears death. She fears a future where time with you is cut short. Months aren’t enough for her, she probably wants years. Many years. I don’t blame her for that.”
Abhay turned and looked at Jovan, blinking twice then shaking his head. A long blade of grass in his hands twirled around some fingers and snapped. Then he let the pieces fall, and chose another in its place.
“Are you taking a guess?” Abhay questioned.
He shrugged and laughed.
“Just a random thought. She’s already halfway deep in the murky waters anyways. Perhaps she knows her own future. Don’t they say similar things about Mark of Celeste bearers, that they are destined for this world?”
“Those are sayings. Maybe there’s a chance it isn’t forced.”
They went back to tossing any pebbles or stones into the pond. Jovan thought of more to say, but Abhay cut the topic short and began to walk around the perimeter of their assigned area. He thought he caught the whiff of a Vitael wandering nearby, but he wasn’t sure. The scent was very faint, and the wind began to carry some away with it. Jovan stood up, dusted his pants of grass, and followed close behind.
Sense something?
Abhay nodded, and pointed in the direction he assumed it came from.
It’s only one, I think. You go around, I’ll go forward.
The two split up to surround the possible intruder. As Abhay grew closer, he could smell a less Vitael, and more human scent.
Those eyes…
There was a blast of energy that pushed against his body on all sides. He looked around his feet, unknowingly stepping into a circle of dark magic, a trap laid out by Ayushmaan himself. Even with a look as distinct as his, it was hard to find him. A barrier went up, and the pressure dissipated. Thrashing away at the barrier, Abhay snarled and locked eyes on his throat.
“These souls are powerful.” He marveled, swirling the light in a vial hanging around his neck. “I never thought I could ever capture a Duralis vampire alone, without a scratch, but today is turning out to be a very lucky day! Come Abhayendra, celebrate it with me!”
—————————————————————————
The house was a cozy one, even for someone who lived alone. It was early evening. Ayushmaan cracked his knuckles and neck, taking rounds and staring into windows. He thought spying on this individual was quite boring. It seemed to him that the Mark of Celeste bearers had a type associated with them. Loners. People who could more easily join the supernatural world, as they usually had nothing that they could leave behind. Even Piya only had a handful of humans she adored. Just like they all would, she was amongst the otherworldly.
He chuckled, and slipped on some gloves. The young man who lived here was about to sit down for dinner, with a movie playing on the television. He almost felt bad about plotting his murder. He didn’t even know his name. And what would happen to all that tasty food?
I’m sorry, but it must be done, he thought, though in a slightly mocking tone.
Using the soul of a siren he gutted on the way there, he appeared inside the house and wedged a single bone of the same siren into one of the pieces of chicken.He cast a spell upon that small bone, and waited, invisible.
I wish I could kill you faster, but that would make some others suspicious.
Dinner was served. As soon as the bone entered the man’s throat, they multiplied, some cutting though his esophagus, others blocking his airways. Blood came pouring out of his mouth, and he dropped dead on the spot, sputtering and gasping for air and help. Ayushmaan reappeared, and picked up the now single coughed up bone, twirling it in his fingers. Bloodied, but holding onto the soul. It was his.
“Thank you so very much, mister. I won’t let your sacrifice go to waste.”
The bone vanished, as did he, leaving no trace of a scent or presense behind. All evidence of his doing fine. Only the blood of the deceased lingered on his fingers, perfect to confuse a vampire with.
—————————————————————————
With a snap of his fingers, Jovan was rendered unconscious and incapacitated, and Abhay was whisked away from the area. Ayushmaan had everything laid out in this temporary lair, to his choosing, right under Pandher palace. Right where it all started. He stashed everything important somewhere else, hidden in a place no one else could find. Abhay could recognize the area by intuition. Even in the deep underground, in a place he didn’t recognize visually, he knew where he was. Ayushmaan laughed.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding?” Abhay snarled.
“Hiding? I’ve just been observing, letting others do my work for me. It’s quite relaxing.” He gestured towards a door, treating himself to a glass of wine. “We’ll have another guest joining shortly for a chat, without your wife meddling of course. I should have killed her the first night I saw her. How foolish of me.”
Abhay snarled. Ayushmaan didn’t like that.
The barrier dropped from around Abhay. He outstretched his hand and forced Abhay on his hands and knees, making his veins pop out on the surface. Some of them burst open, and let the floor drown itself in liquid black. Abhay screamed, and his head shot up towards the vine-covered ceiling, eyes rolling back.
“Does it hurt? I almost feel sorry for you. Here, let me help, in place of Piya.”
He kneeled and squeezed Abhay’s jaw with his palm. One smirk, then he dropped it. From his cloak, a thick red liquid slowly stirred with the movement of his wrist. He popped open the cap, and let it pour onto the open wound of Abhay’s arm. A little hex, to make a puppet. Abhay briefly lost consciousness.
I longed to have some power over you. Even if it is temporary.
“Wake up, Abhayendra. You’ll be my helper for the hour.”
He snapped his fingers. Abhay woke up. The pain suddenly vanished, and his wounds began to heal and close. He looked around, confused with the pool of blood under him. Ayushmaan put the barrier back up, leaving him trapped until he was needed again.
“What…?” Abhay said to himself, looking at his arms. He looked at Ayushmaan. “What did you do to me?”
“Nothing….yet…” He replied, wearing a sinister smile.
They sat in silence. Abhay glared at his captor, watching his every move. He did something to him; that he was sure of. It was hard to keep track of time while down here. No real light, no clock, nothing.
Abhay tried to reach Piya, but he couldn’t. If he strained his mind, it would give him a migraine fit for a vampire.
Ayushmaan stood up.
“Looks like our guest is here.” He said. Abhay turned towards the single door in the room, hearing chimes on the other side. Like tiny bells. It couldn’t be anyone else other than Maithili. He didn’t wish to see her again this early, that too when he himself was a captive.
“You caught him?” She asked Ayushmaan, clapping her hands together and smiling.
“Of course, your highness.” He sneered. “But he did put up quite the fuss…”
Abhay’s eyes went towards her ankles, where the constant chiming was coming from. They looked just like his mother’s anklets, but he didn’t know she still had them.
“I thought you lost them.”
“I did. I just made new ones, with shiny metals dragged out of the underground. Don’t they look just the same? Better even?”
She tapped her heel against the floor and smiled. They sounded the same too. It irked Abhay. His palms balled into tight fists, and he took a step forward. If the barrier wasn’t there, he would have killed her by then.
That’s what I want from you, Abhayendra. Tiny bits of rage building up inside you.
“Ayushmaan did well by bringing you here. Now Piya will come running to save you, like a role reversal.”
Ayushmaan didn’t want to wait for that. He held his hands behind his back, rubbing his fingers against his palm a little impatiently. He stared from the sidelines, like he always did, and began to twirl his finger over a blood stain in the palm of his glove, Abhay’s blood.
The barrier dropped, door slammed shut, and Abhay’s beast was forced out. On a leash of sorts, one could add.
Go on, Abhayendra. Get your revenge, I’ll help you.
Jab tak Hriti wapis aa kar new AT Thread nhi banate tab tak yahi chat karo
Hey guys, am back after really long time. Just to drop an old banter filled os I had written long ago and found in my hard drive. Its long but...
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